Tekenland
Tekenland is a sovereign country located in the Atlantic Ocean. The country is made up of several inhabited islands. It shares land borders with Plecia in the north, Percia in the south and Buel in the southeast. In total Tekenland covers an area of 147,273 km2, making it the 93rd biggest country. It has a population of about 18 million inhabitants, making it the 62nd most populous country in the world. The first archeological finds indicating human presence of present-day Tekenland date back to around 1000 BC. Since then the islands have continuously been inhabited. Tekenland has one of worlds oldest democracies still functioning. Tekenland has always been independent and has never been colonized. However, during the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th century Portugal, Great Britain, The Netherlands and Spain established trade posts along the coast of Tekenland. Goods that were traded include grain, fabrics, fish, fruits, pottery, spices, sugar and wood. Tekenland was also used by these European countries as a stopover in the transatlantic slave trade. Both ships on their way to America and ships on their way to Europe from America visited the islands. History First settlement. Due to its location and to the fact that Tekenland is an archipelago it has been rather isolated. Because of this, Tekenland wasn't inhabited until around 1000 BC. Around this time, the first human settlers arrived on the east coast of the biggest island of the archipelago. It is thought that these people most likely originated from West Africa and travelled by boat to Tekenland. They are called 'Tekenlandicans'. After settling on the island, these people began to develop sedentary farming. In the case of failed harvests, people fell back on hunting. The development of farming lead to the first settlements and a steady population growth over a long period. This resulted in the first 'cities' of Tekenland, known in present-day Tekenland as Jaineiro and Miskotta. Furthermore, archeological finds indicate that trade and interaction between the several settlements in Tekenland existed. Food surpluses, tools and artifacts(most likely religious) were bartered in this period. These first settlers from West Africa brought there own culture, knowledge and language with them. This resulted in the development of the first known Tekenlandic culture. It is thought that a polytheistic religion existed with several gods worshipped. Some of them were depicted in the shape of small sculptures. A number of the earliest sculptures from Tekenland resemble sculptures unearthed in West-Africa. However, later sculptures from Tekenland start to show differences. They began to change shape and received unique decoration. It is thought that this change had to do with the arrival of Celts to the island around 400BC. Celts and conflicts. The Celts arrived in the north of the archipelago around 400BC. It is believed that as soon as the Celts settled, they started trading with the Tekenlandicans. At the same time, the Celts and already present settler community clashed. Before the arrival of the Celts, the Tekenlandicans had established an agricultural society that reached inland. Their established society was now met with Celtic competition. The Celts managed, just like the Tekenlandicans, to establish sedentary farming. This combined with the fact that both relied on hunting in times of failed harvest resulted in a mutual struggle. Despite the fact that there is no written record of this struggle, steles from both sides and arrow points from this period show that there has been a conflict around 300BC. The outcome of this conflict is not entirely clear, but the arrival of the Celts to Tekenland resulted in a unique blend between West African and Celtic culture that laid the foundation for Tekenlandic culture. The Tekenlandican sculptures strongly resembled West African sculptures, but after this conflict the influence of Celtic art appeared. Tekenlandican sculptures received Celtic patterns as decoration and vice versa. When it comes to clothing, the Celts were influenced by Tekenlandican patterns. An exchange took place. Migration was another result of the conflict. The Tekenlandicans began to move inland in search for new, fertile land. This eventually resulted in the founding of new cities. Iron Age The presence of iron ore in Tekenland enabled both the Tekenlandicans and Celts to improve their tools and weaponry. The most important outcome of the improvement of tools was a new plough. This resulted in an increased food production. Because of this, the population was able to grow for over a period of 250 years. Another side effect was a labor surplus resulting from this new plough that encouraged people to migrate inland to start their own farm. Over the long term, new settlements began to develop in central, south and west Tekenland. These settlements began trading with each other and were able to profit of the existing trade routes between the existing settlements in the northeast. Around 250 AD, settlements had grown into city-states. The trade between city-states had become so reliable, that city-states began to specialize. Cities along the coast specialized in fishing where others specialized in certain agricultural products like wine. In this period, the first written sources of Tekenland emerged. The most notable city-states were Insea, Prevaza, Britz, Bernoël and Tekencity. City-states began to keep records of the goods that were traded. These records were inscribed on wooden and later stone tablets. The inscriptions were written in Tekenlandic, a syllabary. Classical era While the cultures of the Mediterranean reached new heights, trade with other islands appeared for the first time in this period. For the first time, Tekenlandicans began to use ships to transport goods to known city states on other islands. A new type of writing developed to keep record of the goods that were traded. In first instance, most of this trade took place in the eastern half of the archipelago. This was mostly because the western half of the archipelago wasn't explored yet. As a result of the afore mentioned population growth and trade increase competition increased. People who couldn't profit of the emerging trade were, more or less, forced to explore the other islands of the archipelago. Batenga was the first and largest settlement set up by these migrants. From here they were able to exploit the fertile land of the island and to join the trade with the existing city states in the east. The first form of currency in the shape of coins also began to appear in this period. The trade itself flourished, but also caused conflicts. It became increasingly harder for the still growing population to profit of the emerging lucrative trade. Some people began to seek for new lands as mentioned above while others started to revolt. City-states as Britz and Insea experienced several uprisings during this period. Apart from migration within Tekenland, small amounts of Greek and later Roman colonists arrived in this era. This small amount of colonists founded their own settlements with the same grid pattern as Greek/Roman cities. To this day several ruïnes of, amongst others, tempels and mosaics remain. It is assumed that this small amount of Greek and later Roman colonists concentrated in their own cities had a great share in the development of a new type of writing. 'Middle ages' Due to the fact that Tekenland is no part of the European mainland, the effects of the collapse of the Roman Empire were hardly if not felt. Nevertheless, the 'Middle ages' is an important period in the history of Tekenland. The first form of a Tekenlandic state in the shape of a monarchy that comprised more than one island appeared and christian missionaries arrived for the first time. This first form of a Tekenlandic state resulted from two key factors. The first key factor is that all the islands of the archipelago were explored and claimed around 600. It became increasingly harder for the people that were in search of new land to find new lands. The second factor is that this scarcity of land combined with the wish by several people to control the lucrative trade lead to wars. The leading figures in these wars were mostly aristocratic families that already possessed power in one or more city-states. By the time this period of wars ended in 819, the family from Tekencity had conquered the most important cities and surrounding areas. They proclaimed Tekencity as the capital of their kingdom and imposed taxes on the existing trade. In this way the Kingdom of Tekencity became the first 'centralized' state in Tekenland. Around 1000, the first missionaries from Ireland and the United Kingdom arrived in the northeast of Tekenland. In the beginning, Tekenlandicans were hostile towards these unknown men. This changed slightly when the Tekenlandicans realized the missionaries had peaceful intentions. The missionaries were slowly accepted and received the right to build a monastery. Around this monastery emerged a new town: Tekenshire. To this day, the monastery still stands in Tekenshire and is a popular tourist attraction. This monastery allowed the teaching of the christian faith, but it was not until the fifteenth century that christianity spread across the entire archipelago. This was mostly due to the fact that the Kingdom of Tekencity didn't allow christians or missionaries to leave the area of Tekenshire. Early modern period During the 13th century the first Genoese merchants arrived to the archipelago of Tekenland. Tekenland was attractive due to the already existing inter-island trade networks and availability of spices. Especially during the 16th and 17th century, these spices proved decisive in the relation with European powers. The Genoese set up a trading post on the isle of Ficento Romaro to strengthen their presence and coördinate their trade. Soon after the Portuguese expansion in Africa started, Portuguese merchants began to arrive in Tekenland. The Genuese trading post in Ficento Romaro was captured in 1417 by the Portuguese. The Portuguese felt invincible and attacked a, what they perceived, strategic village on the coast. After a fierce battle, known as the Battle of Jainero, the city was taken by the Portuguese and named Jainero in honor of the Portuguese general that lead the battle. To this day, the city is known as Jainero because there are no remaining written sources with the original pre-portuguese name of the city. Following the capture of Jainero, the Portuguese decided to build a fortress. Construction started in 1421 and was completed within a year. From Ficento Romaro and Jainero, the Portuguese controlled their trade. The capture of Jainero and Portuguese presence attracted additional traders hoping to trade with the Portuguese. These traders managed to trade pottery with the Portuguese. In first instance Jainero was mostly a military stronghold and trade post. The only 'inhabitants' were Portuguese soldiers and merchants. This changed when the Portuguese discovered the Azores and Madeira. These islands were uninhabited and therefore settlers were needed. Some of these settlers were taken to Jainero to work the lands surrounding the city. For the first time in decades, the population of Jainero grew. New homes and a church were built for these new residents. A second military campaign to gain more lands failed due to strong military resistance of the Tekenlandicans. After this failed campaign, the Portuguese never attempted to enlarge their Tekenlandic territory again. While the Portuguese were present in Ficento Romaro and Janeiro, the Crown of Castile set foot in Tekenland. The main base for the trading mission became Miskotta. Miskotta was a small fishing village, but this soon changed when the Crown of Castile set up a trading post in 1427. Trade in fish began to be supplemented with cloths, wood and spices. The campaign of Castile was mainly aimed at competing with the Portuguese. To prevent Portuguese expansion even further, Castilian merchants set sail for other lucrative areas. In their search for new lands, the archipelago of Buel was discovered. The first Castilian settlement was established here in 1442. The establishment of Mexica and Marabella in the Southeast of Tekenland followed in 1445 and 1447 respectively. The lands around Mexica and Marabella were very fertile and began to be used for sugarcane plantations. Geography Map of Tekenland Climate The predominant wind direction in Tekenland by month is: northwest (January), north (February), south (March), south (April), southwest (May), southeast (June), east (July), east (Augustus), northeast (September), northeast (October), west (November) and north (December). This causes December to be cold and snowy, while January and February are quite cold. March, April and May have much percipitation due to the wind direction coming from the south/southwest. This is air coming from the tropical continent of South America, which picks up more humid from the Atlantic Ocean. This causes March, April and May to be very rainy. The wind in July and August comes from the east, which is continental air from the Sahara, Africa. Because of this, the summer in Tekencity uses to be very hot. Tekencity does not have very cold winters like the northern parts of the country, with cities like Komaday and King. Ice days usually occur in December. Ice days can also take place in January and February but ice days in these months are rare. Ice days do not occur often in Tekencity, but they do in Komaday. In Komaday ice days are normal between November and May. At the peak of the Maäe Mountain, the highest mountain of Tekenland, it freezes the whole year, with a record high temperature of -1.2°C. The peak lies at 5.011 meters. Snow in Tekencity occurs from December to February, sometimes even March or April. The most snow in Tekencity occurs in December, with a chance at a white christmas as high as 90%. This is because the wind comes from the north, with cold air from Greenland and the North Pole picking up water from the Atlantic Ocean. The highest ever recorded amount of snow in Tekencity was 91 centimeters. The heaviest snow blizz occured in 2007, when 51 centimeters of snow fell within 24 hours. Warm days are not rare in Tekencity, with temperatures in the summer rising from 25°C to 30°C. Sometimes an eastern wind brings African air to Tekenland. When its windless and the warm air stays above Tekencity, temperatures can rise up to 35°C - 40°C. Landscape Tekenland has a very varied landscape. In the north of Tekenland, the most common landscape is a landscape full of high mountains. This region, the Komaday Region, has a cold climate with snow-capped mountains, where snow is common to fall. Between October and April it's snowing in the valleys, while it's snowing in the mountains between September and May. At the highest mountains in the region, snow can fall year round. Several animal species live in the high mountains. One of them, the Komaday goose, is endemic to these higher areas of Tekenland. The north of Tekenland is dominated by lower and higher mountain ranges, varying from peaks between 2,000 meters and 5,000 meters. The most famous valley in the area is the Komaday Valley, with the Maäe streaming through the valley. Tekenland also has very dry regions with a very strong land climate, which makes the existence of deserts possible. The most famous deserts in Tekenland are the Aharas and the Fasao Plains. In these areas the weather is very dry, making it almost impossible for plants to grow. Temperatures in the summer go well over 50 °C, and in the winter temperatures drop to -15 °C. Coastal parts of Tekenland are very fertile. Tekencity, the capital of Tekenland, is located in one of the most fertile pieces of land of Tekenland. .]] Demographics Tekenland has a population of 18,389,102 inhabitants, making it the 62nd most populous country on earth. It has a density rate of 124,86/km2. The population grow rate of Tekenland is 0.21% as of 2018. The fertilitary rate is 1.37 children per woman in Tekenland, what is low for Europe. It comes close to the lowest fertilitary rate of Europe, 1.28 in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The life expectancy is high in Tekenland: 82.1 years for new born girls and 80.9 for new born boys. The data is a 2014 estimate. The population of Tekenland is 86,5% Tekenlandic, 5,2% Buelish, 2,3% Plecian, 1,9% Percian, 0,8% Verditian, 0,6% Celt and 2,7% others, among others consisting of Germans, French, Senegalese, Brazilian and Jewish. Tekenlandics are one of the longest people in the world with an average of 1.80m for men and 1.71m for women. People in the north are longer than people in the south. Language Religion Education Healthcare